


Strawberry God and the foxes

by AmbroiseFramboise



Category: Bleach
Genre: (s), Foxes, Gen, Gods, Ichigo is clueless, Karakura Town, Kitsune Ichigo, M/M, Old Wives' Tales, Shinigami, Yokais, bystander syndrom, its citizens are not idiots, just superstitious, kitsunegeddon, or blind, to what is considered normal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-07-15 08:01:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16058915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbroiseFramboise/pseuds/AmbroiseFramboise
Summary: Karakura is a perfectly ordinary little Japanese town. (For a shonen. And an horror movie in retrospect.)None of it's habitants stand out. (Some heve been there for centuries and the other are well integrated.)No, there is nothing in this empty space, even if that kid is talking to it. Don't mind the foxes, they are normal.We have excellent insurance policies when it comes to random building destruction. Or mysterious deaths.You may develop minor psychic abilities if you stay too long. Don't worry too much about it.Please pray our God and leave an offering for safe travel !





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A story a bit random that I'll try to update without long pauses between chapters like I tend to do.
> 
> Full of tropes I love, and crack, can't forget the crack. 
> 
> Also, FOXES ! (Who doesn't like them ?)
> 
> A-F

Karakura was what looked like your typical small town where nothing ever happened. To people who didn’t live there at least. Even if the humans were not aware of the fact that it was actually one of the places with the higher concentration of spiritual energy thanks to the concentration of a certain number of spiritual beings, they knew that its apparence was far from being the truth. 

One of the evidence of this was the strange orange-haired boy, Kurosaki Ichigo, and by extension, his family, and later his friends as well. There were of course others, like the reclusive candy-shop owner (whose house sometimes disappeared, had a weirdly intelligent cat and children with an incredible strength) and his occasional weird guests… who hadn’t aged in probably centuries. 

Not that there was any proof. It somehow always got mysteriously destroyed, sometimes along with parts memory. (A few extremely absurd remplacement memories were also to be noted.) 

But the inhabitants were well accustomed to things like this. Parents and grandparents passed down to the children the stories of ancient times, when gods and yokais alike walked down on earth. They usually said that those beings still existed, but hid more, taking the appearance of regular mortals to wander in an era were spiritual were nothing more than myths. 

It would have been written down as silly old people tales if the events like finding half-devoured cadavers from time to time, or the regular destroyed buildings without cause. (At this point, the local authorities had mostly given up.)

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The Kurosaki family had always been a bit… out of place, odd. 

There was the father, Isshin, who appeared out of nowhere one day and opened a clinic, and seemed almost out of time at moments. He was puzzled at technology and was unaware of a lot of social clues. He got better and better as the years passed but was still odd.

Then, there was his wife, Masaki, a beautiful woman, with stunning ginger locks and an incredible intelligence. She possessed an almost unworldly amount of grace, with a mischievous streak and a general happiness that made her glow. Many were those who cursed Isshin for being able to marry her. But it was obvious that she loved him and their children, so there was no point trying to seduce her. Plus, her anger was almost legendary. (The way she utterly defeated some thug that had threatened her son was proof enough. Who knew humans limbs could twist like this without being ripped out.)

Their children were also, particular. Mostly the oldest one though, the twins looked and acted perfectly normally. And if they sometimes talked to thin air, well all small children have imaginary friends right ? 

No, it was Ichigo who managed to be both extremely strange and well integrated into society. With wild orange hair like his mother, and the same habit than the sisters to look and talk to nothing, he was at first a gentle and shy boy. 

But then, tragedy struck. Beautiful, fierce Masaki was mysteriously murdered near the riverbank, in front of the nine years old boy. The culprit was never found. He changed after that. The gentleness was still there, particularly to his loved ones, but it was covered by layers of protectiveness and anger. 

It was obvious in the way he fought thugs, but only in defence of himself or weaker people, and in the concern he could show after to the victims. In the way he always went to the school of his sisters at the end of the day, to take them home. When he never missed their matches or others events. Even with how he was often found at the clinic, helping his father and learning first-aid and sometimes more. 

But toward others… well, the bullies learned quickly not to bother him. (And really, why were they so fixed on the color of his hair ? He was not the only one with it, and had been like this since his birth. The teachers’ fault maybe, they were always telling him to stop bleaching it and get it back to black… never mind that they were supposed to be old enough to remember his mother who had the same color.) 

Unfortunately, when it was not school bullies (because of course their stupidity knew no bounds and they always seemed to forget how easily he had beaten them before), it was the local Yakusa. Some branch of a bigger group from a big city, or something. They were harder to beat, and he got wounded more often. He was stabbed at least twice (and it was one of the rare cases when he saw his father with another expression that his usual stupid ones. It was somber and didn’t suit him at all.) Almost got shot once. 

(That fight had been an ugly one. Some higher up from the main place had heard that the men had lost to some kid, and decided to take care of it himself. And maybe he had only wanted to beat him up at first, but apparently his defeat had been such a wound to his pride that he had wiped his gun out. 

Ichigo had frozen then -and he would later swear it would be the last time it’d happen, it was a mistake that could too easily be fatal- too far to be able to disarm him. The shot rang in the air, and some plaster fell from the ceiling. Another yakusa had grabbed the arm of the man so it would sail helplessly above their heads. Apparently, he was fine intimidating, even wounding to scare Ichigo off their affairs, but shooting a twelve years-old was not okay. The others present, because of course it was an ambush and they were a dozen felt the same. 

They let him go home that day, with nothing more than bruises from his fight. 

Somehow, the gun-wielding maniac died in a mysterious car accident around a week later. He was the only victim, and they found loads of evidence of his criminal activities in his trunk. 

Animal paw prints in the mud were the only unusual thing on the site of the crash, and immediately overlooked.

Not the policemen problem if the victim had angered some entity. It’s not like he hadn’t deserved it with his record. And Ichigo had now a tentative truce with the thugs. As long as they didn’t try to demand money from the elderly again, or tried to scare them off to buy their property.)

Anyway. All that could be explained easily enough. That he liked to fight, had a good sense of justice and morals…

No. The strangest thing about him were the foxes.

They were everywhere he was. 

Almost as if they were following him, really. (They were)

Not that he found it weird himself. At least not for years. (Not until he was told that no, it wasn’t normal. At all.)

They tended to hide themselves, particularly when they were inside of the town, but if you were perceptive enough, you could often see flashes of red, grey, black or white fur in the corner of your eyes. 

It had started long ago, before Masaki’s death, but it hadn’t been as noticeable then. They mostly came to her, in the safety of their garden or the nearby woods (who were bigger and denser than they looked somehow. One could easily get lost in them and not find their way for days. Only a handful of individuals could pass through without troubles, and the Kurosaki’s family were part of them.)

Back then, the kits played with a small Ichigo and his smaller sisters, while the adult foxes mostly stayed near their mother, seemingly conversing while watching them. He learned how to pounce, to stalk a pray without making a sound or being seen. How to talk to them. (Screeching. With some barking. And purring.) 

(It was almost harder to teach him how to behave in in human company. That random screaming wasn’t an acceptable form of communication at school. And yes, he needed to wear clothes. Yes, shoes too.)

His sisters had some trouble with that, never managed to make the sounds perfectly, but knew the bases. For some reason, the foxes were never as interested with them as they were with him. But it didn’t bother the little girls so it was okay. 

Isshin didn’t mind, but he most likely didn’t know it wasn’t normal human behavior. And even if he did, he loved his wife and kids too much to say anything.

After Masaki’s death however… Suddenly it was as if they had multiplied. They followed him to school. Brought him lunch to cheer him up. (Even though he had repeatedly told them that humans didn’t eat dead mice. Or lives ones. Or bugs.) Nudged his legs when he got lost in his head near the river. Alerted him when someone hostile was near. 

The pups often climbed in his bag, or cried until he took them into his pockets. One liked to pretend he was a fur collar regardless the season. They growled playfully at him and asked for pats and petting. Tugged his sleeves to get his attention and ate his homework if he didn’t give it to them. 

To outsiders however… well it was very weird at first. (More than was usual in their totally ordinary, normal little town.) Teachers were concerned, both by his behaviour (he tended to ditch his shoes every time he could get away with it, even as a teenager) and what they called jokingly his familiars. (And isn’t it ironic that it would contribute to the rumors surrounding Ichigo, which would lead to later surprising events.) 

His class found it cool at first, but it would after the hype lessened only increase the sentiment that he wasn’t normal, a bit “freaky”. Making him an even better target for bullies.

Small children loved him. Thanks to him they could pet foxes ! They were very soft ! (Parents were worried at first, but there was no incidents. Some still refused to let their kids come near, fearing they’d get, bitten, scratch or infected with diseases.) 

Passer-bys looked at him oddly when he “talked” to his fox friends in the street, but ignored it after a while. It was just a quirk from the weird Kurosaki kid, nothing to worry for, not their problem. (It was best not to get involved with the supernatural said the older and wiser inhabitants. It was so easy to offend someone you shouldn’t have and get cursed. They weren’t wrong.)

The elderly loved him (but made sure to treat him with respect and to give him plenty fried tofu). He never hesitated lending them a hand when they needed it, be it from garden work to small errands, was always very polite. That he protected them from the yakusa and their threats despite the mess it landed him in only increased their gratitude. 

Ghosts, when they realised he could see them would talk to him, and sometimes try to follow him home, but they somehow never managed to. Either the foxes growled until they stopped, or they would be straight-up unable to get within a specific radius from his house. It didn’t stop him from being respectful and helpful, of playing and comforting the too small ghosts of children dead too young. Them he never turned down no matter how tiring his day had been. 

As for his friends, (because he had some despite it all) well, we’ll come back to them a bit later.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

For some time all was -not well- but better. The scar from Masaki’s death would never fade, and still be painful around that time of the year, but the Kurosaki didn’t feel like they could never be happy again. 

Then, of course, something particularly strange happened. 

“Goat-face ! My body became weird !” shouted one morning a twelve years old Ichigo.

Isshin, who was planning to “wake up” his son as he usually did (with a flying kick) teared up and went crying in front of the embarrassedly large poster of his deceased wife.

“Ah, Masaki ! Our son’s puberty is starting !” he said loudly. 

Up in his room, Ichigo, mortified, concluded his father would be useless, and stared at the twin red fox tails attached to his behind with something akin to resignation, before shrugging. He also reached up to feel the new ears perched atop his head.

“What I am going to do now ?” he asked himself. “Is it… normal ?” 

He hoped he wouldn’t have to cut holes in all his pants, it’d be a bother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes, friendship. So more helpful than Google. 
> 
> (Aka ; Poor Chad)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ! 
> 
> I have, finally, finished this chapter ; it's shorter, but I hope you'll like it.
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> A-F

The twin-tails were swishing behind him. Ichigo was still seated on his bed, feeling utterly puzzled. His father had said something about puberty ? He didn’t remember anything about animal traits when reading about it. 

Unable to control them properly, he had to grab them to observe them. Yes, those were two tails. Fox tails. Orange (similar to his hair) with some black, particularly toward the ends, and the tips were white, slim but fluffy. Normal, if big for a regular fox (so proportional with his body ?), if not for the fact that they were attached just above his butt.

He… had ears too (and wow, they worked better, he could hear everything that was happening in his house, including the sounds of his sisters while they were preparing for the day, down to their solf breathing). They twiched, it was extremely weird.

Where had his human ears gone ??? 

Did he have other fox attributes he hadn’t notice in his initial confusion/panic ?

Ah. Claws. And… teeth ? They felt particularly pointy.

And that was it. (It was already way too much).

Not that he was particularly sad to look like his favorite animals, who were also sort of friends, but he wasn’t sure it was normal. 

He couldn’t remember seeing anyone with that kind of attributes before. 

Or maybe it was a social convention to hid them, one he wasn’t aware of ? He had to admit that in the family, the only ones able to understand (and mimic) social clues were the twins. He and his father were… particularly bad at it. 

When in doubt, ask a friend. Chad was reliable. He just hoped it wasn’t different in Mexico, because his taciturn friend still had some difficulties when it came to Japanese culture.

(They had met at the beginning of the year, and after a few events, which included the whole “I’ll fight for you and you’ll fight for me” promise, had easily fallen into a quiet but strong friendship.) 

On a second thought, he might as well try to google it first. Internet had answers to everything right ?

“people with animal ears and tails” “people with animal characteristics”

He stared at the screen of the familial computer. Uh. He didn’t know half of the terms used on the first page. 

Better call Chad. 

“Hello.” mumbled the stoic teen at the other end of the line.

“Hi Chad ! I have a problem, can you help ?” he asked, a bit embarrassed.

“Sure.” 

“Well, you see, last night something happened, my body got weird, and Goat-Face isn’t helping. I asked google, and apparently I’m a furry ? Do you know what it is ?” explained Ichigo, who had decided to put the top of his uniform at least, even if he couldn’t wear the pants.

There was an oddly choked sound and a long silence. (If Chad had been drinking something it would have been the moment he’d spit it all everywhere.)

“What.” 

“A furry. I grew fox ears. And two tails too.” tried to clarify Ichigo.

There was a muted “Oh my god, Heavens and Abuelo send help.” and the a much closer “Don’t move, I’m coming. Don’t google it further. Please.” And the call cut.

Ichigo stared at his phone, confused. Ah well, he couldn’t go out as he was, he couldn’t wear pants. 

“Ichigo !” shouted his dad downstairs “I’m taking your sisters to school, and hurry up you’re gonna be late. My first and only son will be a delinquent !” Ichigo tuned him down, the sounds of his father exaggerated sobs were as annoying as usual. 

“Bye Ichi-nii !” 

“Bye ! Your breakfast is on the table !”

The sound of the door being shut reached his (new) ears, and he was alone. 

Might as well eat while waiting for Chad right ? The meal was delicious as usual, and he felt himself calm down a bit. When done, he washed his dishes and wondered if he should go back in his room and try to finish dressing for the day despite his new additions. But Chad would arrive very soon.

He was cut from his musing (and his dilemma was solved) when he heard the steps of his friend approaching, and the shrill ring of the doorbell. (Note for self ; sharpened hearing had it’s expected drawbacks.)

He opened the door and looked up to Chad. 

Chad stared. And stared some more. Then he rubbed his eyes, but nothing changed. His friend was still… like this. He wasn’t one for swearing, but. What. The. Fuck.

Chad pinched his own arm, just in case it was a weird dream/hallucination. No change. He reached to touch the… fluffy-looking things on top of Ichigo’s head. (Ears !?). Very soft, warm and twitching a bit. Very real. 

Dear Gods. 

He facepalmed, and gently pushed his friend back inside, before closing the door. (He pointedly ignored the adult fox that went in before he could totally shut it. It turned it’s head toward him, with a foxy grin that made it look like it was laughing at his misery.)

“Okay. Explain.”

Ichigo explained as well as he could. 

“Okay.” started Chad when Ichigo had ended the description of his morning. “First of all. No it’s not normal. Or part of human puberty. Second, I’m not sure term furry apply here. It looks more like the stuff of myths, or fairy tales. Have you recently helped a old person ? Or an injured animal ?”

“I don’t think so ? I’m always helping my foxes if they need it, but nothing happened recently.”

“Have you tried the power of belief ? Like, picturing yourself back to normal, or wishing your… tails away ?”

“The power of belief ? Really ?”

“You never know.” nodded Chad.

It was a bit… childish maybe, but Ichigo trusted him and had no better idea.Plus, myths probably had some truth in them, and it didn’t hurt to try, right ?

So he closed his eyes, and concentrated as hard as he could, visualising himself back to normal and wishing to look human once again.

There was a POP. And some orange colored smoke. 

“Is it done ? Am I human looking ? No tails, or ears ?” asked Ichigo, waving the (perfumed ?) smoke away (happy that it hadn’t activated the smoke detector). Raising a hand, he carefully patted his mop of unruly hair, sensing for the fluffy appendages. 

Nothing. They were gone !

“Yes ! No need to make holes in my pants !” cheered Ichigo, before bolting upstairs. “I’m gonna change, before we get late for school.” 

Chad was left in the hall, alone but for the fox who had come back. It was now looking for pets from the big human.

“I don’t suppose you or your little friends have an answer, or can explain do I ?” 

The fox raised his head and grinned, before barking. It looked just as amused as before.

“Yeah, I figured.” 

Then Ichigo was back, and them went about their day as usual, not talking about the events of the morning anymore.

The normalcy, of course (since Fate/Destiny/Whatever force was responsible liked to screw with them), didn’t last long. 

At all.

(It wasn’t surprising at all either. But unfortunately, this time there was more witnesses.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The confusion is spreading ! (It's not gonna stop anytime soon). 
> 
> I feel like Chad is OOC, but he's hard to write. (Ichigo too AAAA)
> 
> Find me on my Tumblr ! [Ambroise-Framboise](https://ambroise-framboise.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I also have a Twitter now ! [Ambroise_Fra](https://twitter.com/Ambroise_Fra)

**Author's Note:**

> Aaahh, poor confused Ichigo ! It's not going to stop anytime soon.
> 
> I hope you liked it ! 
> 
> You can find me on my tumblr ; [Ambroise-Framboise](https://ambroise-framboise.tumblr.com/) :)


End file.
